1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for initiating communication in a mobile terminal. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method for quickly initiating a communication connection in a mobile terminal.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, a mobile terminal refers to an advanced communication device with which a user can make a call or exchange data while on the move. With the popularization of such mobile terminals, users prefer to communicate using mobile terminals rather than wired telephones.
To initiate communication using a mobile terminal, a user needs to input contact information, such as a phone number, of a communication counterpart. Generally, a user of a mobile terminal stores registration information (e.g., names and phone numbers) of communication counterparts in a phone book of the mobile terminal. Accordingly, for many users, the phone book is an indispensable feature of a mobile terminal.
Meanwhile, the increasing use of a mobile terminal may cause frequent use of a phone book, and possibly increase the number of communication counterparts registered in the phone book, which makes it difficult for the user to select a specific communication counterpart to initiate a communication connection (e.g., an outgoing call). There is a conventional method that addresses such problems in which unique shortcut numbers (or hot keys) are assigned to respective communication counterparts so that a user may easily initiate communication with a desired communication counterpart corresponding to a specific shortcut number by simply inputting the shortcut number.
Although the conventional method described above may enable rapid communication through speed dialing, if an increasing number of communication counterparts are registered in relation to shortcut numbers, a user may have difficulty in memorizing all the registered communication counterparts.
For example, a user may memorize, without difficulty, communication counterparts registered in relation to single-digit shortcut numbers (e.g., 0 to 9), so the user can conveniently initiate communication using the shortcut numbers. However, in the case of multi-digit shortcut numbers, it may be quite difficult for a user to memorize all the communication counterparts registered in relation to the shortcut numbers, so the user ends up searching a phone book for a specific communication counterpart by inputting a name or phone number of the communication counterpart, to initiate communication.
Therefore, there is a need for a method for quickly initiating a communication without having to input names or phone numbers of communication counterparts, even though the communication counterparts are registered in relation to multi-digit shortcut numbers.